ATLANTA (AP) — Two organizations are pushing state lawmakers to oppose a bill that would expand the rights of gun owners in the state.

The Georgia chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and the Georgia Gun Sense Coalition are planning to rally on the steps of the state Capitol Tuesday morning to ask lawmakers to oppose House Bill 875.

The legislation passed the House last week and is being reviewed by the Senate Judicial Non-Civil committee. Organizers of the group say the bill would allow cities to permit firearms in government buildings, bars and houses of worship.

Demonstrators say they plan to deliver "common sense cookies" to committee members that include a message about their opposition to the bill.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

______

Youth sports safety council to meet in Atlanta

ATLANTA (AP) — The National Council on Youth Sports Safety is planning to host its inaugural meeting in Atlanta this week.

Organizers say a panel discussion including more than 20 experts will focus on traumatic brain injuries among young athletes. The meeting is being hosted at the Morehouse School of Medicine Feb. 26 and 27.

Organizers say the council will meet quarterly to review research and develop a strategic plan for implementing national guidelines on youth sports safety.

Members of the panel include former professional football players, NCAA officials and more.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

_____

Georgia accounting students offering free tax help

MORROW, Ga. (AP) — Accounting students at Clayton State University are again offering free income tax help to qualified Georgians.

School officials say students participating in the national Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program will offer free tax preparation help March 1, March 22 and March 29. Each session runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

School officials say students participating in the program receive valuable hands-on experience while providing a helpful public service. To qualify for free help, visitors must have an annual income of less than $51,000.

Visitors are asked to bring identification, wage and earning statements, a copy of last year's return and other relevant information about income and expenses.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

_____

Board approves demolition of historic Macon church

MACON, Ga. (AP) — Macon's planning and zoning commission has approved a plan to demolish the historic Tremont Temple Baptist Church, which was built in 1897.

The commission last year denied the church's application to raze the building, but new information led to Monday's 3-2 vote to allow the demolition. The Telegraph reports that the new information involved the condition of the structure, which was described by an engineering company as being in danger of imminent collapse.

The congregation had moved out of the building in 2007, saying problems with leaks, mold and termites had rendered it unusable for church services and too expensive to maintain. They've been planning to sell the building to a developer, who has filed plans to build a Dunkin' Donuts on the church property.

ATLANTA (AP) — Residents of an Atlanta-area retirement home want to know why care packages they tried to send to U.S. troops overseas were left sitting in a nearby post office for months.

Residents of the King's Bridge Retirement Community on Briarcliff Drive packed and sent more than 100 care packages, WSB-TV reported. They were intended for troops serving in Afghanistan for Veterans Day, more than three months ago.

But the packages only made it about a mile to a post office in DeKalb County.

A paperwork error resulted in the mailing not being processed, the U.S. Postal Service said in a statement.

"We sincerely apologize for this delay," postal officials said in the statement, promising that the packages would be processed immediately and sent to the troops on Tuesday.

World War II veteran Harold Dye says he put a lot of time into his note. "I'm at a loss for words in a sense," he said.

No one gave people at the retirement community any notification the packages were at the post office for so long, said Jim Waldrop, the center's executive director.

ATLANTA (AP) — A memorial service for an assistant camera operator who was killed while filming a movie in south Georgia has been scheduled in her home state of South Carolina.

The memorial for 27-year-old Sarah Elizabeth Jones is planned for 4 p.m. Wednesday at Ashland United Methodist Church in Columbia, S.C., followed by a celebration of her life at 5 p.m. at Saluda River Club in Lexington, S.C.

Jones, who lived in Atlanta, was hit by a train Thursday while she and crew members were filming a portion of "Midnight Rider." The film is based on the life of musician Gregg Allman. Several other crew members were injured.

Jones formerly lived in West Columbia, S.C., and was a graduate of Brookland-Cayce High School and the College of Charleston.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

_____

School bus crash injures students in Atlanta

ATLANTA (AP) — Authorities say several students on a school bus were hurt in a crash in Atlanta, but their injuries appeared to be minor.

Atlanta police spokeswoman Kim Jones says that several of the students complained of back and neck injuries and were being taken to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the wreck happened around 8:40 a.m. Tuesday near Humphries Drive and Browns Mill Road on the city's southeast side.

Nearly 40 children were on the bus, but it wasn't immediately known how many were taken to the hospital.

Atlanta Public Schools officials say the bus continued on to Crawford Long Middle School, where medical personnel were checking students for injuries.

Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

_____

Pastor killed while trying to launch boat in lake

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Authorities say a Milledgeville pastor apparently drowned while trying to launch his new boat into a central Georgia lake.

The Telegraph reports that 75-year-old Wendell Ray Thomas was found dead in his submerged pickup truck shortly after 3 p.m. Monday near the boat ramp at a marina on Lake Sinclair.

Baldwin County sheriff's Capt. Brad King said Thomas had tied the boat to the ramp and apparently was pulling the truck up the steep incline when it slipped into the water.

King said the death appears to be a tragic accident.

Thomas founded Freedom Church in 1985 in a dance hall in Milledgeville before moving to a new sanctuary on Underwood Road the next year.

*We welcome your comments on the stories and issues of the day and seek to provide a forum for the community to voice opinions. All comments are subject to moderator approval before being made visible on the website but are not edited. The use of profanity, obscene and vulgar language, hate speech, and racial slurs is strictly prohibited. Advertisements, promotions, and spam will also be rejected. Please read our terms of service for full guides